DB challenge: Cheesecake Pops

All I can say for April DB challenge is: This was really fun! And the measurements from the recipe make enormous quantities of cheesecake pops so we were eating thought all April! Great! Love it! Will definitely make more and again!

I couldn't find popsticks so I had to improvise with edible chocolate sticks but I think that made my pops even better!

Cheesecake Pops

Makes 30 – 40 Pops

5 8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature

2 cups sugar

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

5 large eggs

2 egg yolks

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

¼ cup heavy cream

Boiling water as needed

Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks

1 pound chocolate, finely chopped – you can use all one kind or half and half of dark, milk, or white (Alternately, you can use 1 pound of flavored coatings, also known as summer coating, confectionary coating or wafer chocolate – candy supply stores carry colors, as well as the three kinds of chocolate.)

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

(Note: White chocolate is harder to use this way, but not impossible)

Assorted decorations such as chopped nuts, colored jimmies, crushed peppermints, mini chocolate chips, sanding sugars, dragees) - Optional

Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Set some water to boil.

In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.

Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.

Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.

When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose it’s shine after it has dried. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety.

Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.

Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate (dark chocolate drizzled over milk chocolate or white chocolate over dark chocolate, etc.) Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionary chocolate pieces) as needed.

Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.

Challenge host were: FeedingMyEnthusiasms and Taste and Tell

My Very First Daring Bakers Challenge: Lemon Meringue Pie

I've been stoking Daring Bakers for a while, but never felt brave enough to join them. Is not that I'm bad baker in general, but only when it comes to bake a pastry, cakes... It takes discipline, precision, patients that I simply do not have. With cooking you can always improvise, but with cakes... it still quantum physics for me...

Nevertheless, last December something strange happened to me and I joined DB. Well, not exactly. I got ill and I couldn't participate at December challenge. I felt like it was a message from "above" that baking is not for me. That pissed me off and I decided that nothing could stop me of participating in January challenge, not even me being ill again!

So last Saturday, although I had temperature and feeling slightly weak, I gathered all my strength and confronted the evil three: the Lemon, the Meringue and the Pie!

As DB rules request I followed the recipe without any complain, I didn't ask "Why this?", I didn't think of giving up, not even in the most painful moments when dough seemed stronger then me... I continued... not even the extreme mess (that somehow just happened in my kitchen) couldn't stop me... the flour was flaying around, lemon juice flow from counter top, sugar rolled over the floor... but after that tough battle... here it is... my very first Daring Bakers challenge finished!

Ladies and gentleman, let me introduce you... Lemon Meringue Pie!

Lemon Meringue Pie

Makes one 10-inch (25 cm) pie

For the Crust:

¾ cup (180 mL) cold butter; cut into ½-inch (1.2 cm) pieces

2 cups (475 mL) all-purpose flour

¼ cup (60 mL) granulated sugar

¼ tsp (1.2 mL) salt

⅓ cup (80 mL) ice water

For the Filling:

2 cups (475 mL) water

1 cup (240 mL) granulated sugar

½ cup (120 mL) cornstarch

5 egg yolks, beaten

¼ cup (60 mL) butter

¾ cup (180 mL) fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon zest

1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract

For the Meringue:

5 egg whites, room temperature

½ tsp (2.5 mL) cream of tartar

¼ tsp (1.2 mL) salt

½ tsp (2.5 mL) vanilla extract

¾ cup (180 mL) granulated sugar

For the Crust: Make sure all ingredients are as cold as possible. Using a food processor or pastry cutter and a large bowl, combine the butter, flour, sugar and salt. Process or cut in until the mixture resembles coarse meal and begins to clump together. Sprinkle with water, let rest 30 seconds and then either process very briefly or cut in with about 15 strokes of the pastry cutter, just until the dough begins to stick together and come away from the sides of the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and press together to form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 20 minutes.

Allow the dough to warm slightly to room temperature if it is too hard to roll. On a lightly floured board (or countertop) roll the disk to a thickness of ⅛ inch (.3 cm). Cut a circle about 2 inches (5 cm) larger than the pie plate and transfer the pastry into the plate by folding it in half or by rolling it onto the rolling pin. Turn the pastry under, leaving an edge that hangs over the plate about ½ inch (1.2 cm). Flute decoratively. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the crust with foil and fill with metal pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden. Cool completely before filling.

For the Filling: Bring the water to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan. Remove from the heat and let rest 5 minutes. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together. Add the mixture gradually to the hot water, whisking until completely incorporated.

Return to the heat and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. The mixture will be very thick. Add about 1 cup (240 mL) of the hot mixture to the beaten egg yolks, whisking until smooth. Whisking vigorously, add the warmed yolks to the pot and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in butter until incorporated. Add the lemon juice, zest and vanilla, stirring until combined. Pour into the prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the surface, and cool to room temperature.

For the Meringue: Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Using an electric mixer beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, salt and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, beating until it forms stiff, glossy peaks. Pile onto the cooled pie, bringing the meringue all the way over to the edge of the crust to seal it completely. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a rack. Serve within 6 hours to avoid a soggy crust.

Orange Pudding: for boosting energy and beating hangover!

Here it is, a delicious vitamin bomb to boost the bigging of the new year!

Enjoy it!

PS: it will help to beat hangover too!

Orange Pudding

¾ cup water

½ cup orange juice

Rind of 1 small orange

2 tablespoons lemon juice

½ cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 egg separated

A few grains of salt

Rind the orange. Make it finer then on this image. They were too big.

Mix orange rind with fluids: water, orange and lemon juices. Cook on the light heath to a boil.

Carefully mix sugar and cornstarch.

Pour the boiling liquid into the sugar and cornstarch mixture. Stir until smooth.

Return it to the heath, stir until comes to a boil.

Beat the egg whites.

Slowly pour the fruit miture into the beaten white, beating lightly. Mix well.

Wet the cupcakes pots.

Pour into molds and let cool

Custard Sauce

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons sugar

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon lemon zests

A few grains salt

Save out one tablespoon of the milk.

Heat the remainder of the milk together with lemon zests.

Mix together sugar, cornstarch.

Stir in the tablespoon of milk and the egg yolk.

Stir this mixture into the hot milk, and cook till thicken.

Pour over orange pudding.

Green Tomatoes and Aceto Balsmico Jam - Why not?!

I never ate green tomatoes. I only saw the movie. So I was surprised when I stumble upon bench with green tomatoes last Sunday on Dolac (the biggest open market in Zagreb). I remember reading about green tomatoes contest at Apartment Therapy, so I thought: "Why not?!"

The farmer who sold them told me that they are used for pickling, but I was feeling little more adventurous than that. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to play with my green tomatoes during the weekend so, once again, I had to improvise. I, literally, run trough Google search results for "green tomatoes" and end up with something completely new.

I decided to do some kind of jam, but I discovered that I do not have any lemon, and all of the green tomatoes jam recipes I found used lemon. Since it was Sunday, late at night, I decided to use Aceto Balsamico instead of lemon. And what a great combination Aceto Balsmico and green tomatoes turn out to be.

I have to admit I'm really very proud of this one because it was complete improvisation with something I've never not just cooked but not even tasted before.

Green Tomatoes and Aceto Balsmico Jam

5 green tomatoes

Aceto Balsamico

Brown Shugar

3 pieces of Clove

2,5 gr gelatin

cinnamon, pimenta, honey

In a stainless bowl, layer thin slices of green tomatoes and dark brown sugar, sprinkle with Aceto balsamico. let macerate overnight.

This is how it looked in the morning.

The next day, separate tomatoes from liquid. Put liquid into pan. Add amount of water equal to amount of liquid from tomatoes . Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, cloves, cinnamon, piment and more sugar (the amount of sugar depends of your taste. I added less sugar but I did add more honey at the end to make it sweeter).

Cook jam for one hour, boiling briskly and stirring so it doesn’t burn.

Mix the gelatin with 3 spoons of cold water and leave it for 10 minutes to swell up.

Take the tomatoes mixture off the heath. Add one spoon of honey. Add gelatin and stir for additional 5 - 10 minutes until gelatin melt completely.

Transfer to a warmed sterile jars.

Pumpkin and Pomegranate Layered Cake

This was busy weekend. I played a lot with pumpkin preparing sauce, dessert... And once I started I couldn't stop playing! So I decide to try some new fun staff and I prepared this layered so called cake which I'll send to this months WTSIM...

I just hope it will be accepted as layered cake since it is not baked, but I'll try and we will see!

Pumpkin and pomegranate layered cake

Prepare Pumpkin Pudding as described here. Once pudding has completely set up, cut it carefully into three slices.

Mix 5g of gelatin with 2 spoons of cold water and leave it for 10 minutes to swell up.

In medium saucepan bring to boil 250 ml of water and 2 spoons of brawn sugar. Add 150g of pomegranate. Simmer for 3-5 minutes. Move from the heath, add gelatin and stir for additional 5 minutes. Live it to chill for about 15 minutes, Stirring occasionally.

Rinse quickly under cold water four cups wider than molds used for pumpkin pudding. Don't dry cups in order to facilitate unmolding them.

First pour small amount of pomegranate mixture in cup, just to cover the bottom. Put one slice of pumpkin pudding in the center. Cover with some more pomegranate mixture. Be sure to pour mixture around the pumpkin pudding slice too. Add another slice of pumpkin pudding. Pour more pomegranate mixture to cover it. If your cup is big enough add one more pudding slice and cover it with pomegranate mixture.

Let it cool first on room temperature and then transfer them into fridge to set up which will take at least 4 hours.

To unmold, carefully dip bottom of the cup in hot water briefly. Run a thin knife around edge of the cup. Place the cup on chilled serving plate (topside down). Shake gently to release cake from the cup and carefully lift it off.

Pumpkin &Me

When I first came to Zagreb, some 14 years ago, I wasn't really fan of pumpkins. In Dalmatia we do not use it much (if at all), and I have to admit that the first pumpkin based meal I had , most probably, I had after I arrived in Zagreb, and, again most probably since I do not really remember it, it was cake called Bučnica (after Buča - pumpkin) which is very popular in Zagreb and continental part of Croatia.

I fall in love with bučnica immediately but it took me few more years before I started to cook with pumpkin myself.

Well, to be honest, I did start just last year. But it was a good start and I couldn't wait this year fall to go to the open market (it is called Dolac) which turn all pumpkin-orange in this part of the year, and by myself some pumpkin!

I started with the Pumpkin and Shitaki sauce for "In The Bag" event, but I wanted to do something sweet so I started my search. On Internet, off course! I find so many great recipes like Pumpkin Creme Brulee or Pumpkin Panna Cotta.

And I did what I do best, read all recipes, commingle them a bit, and voilà!... I'll name it Pumpkin and Coconut Pudding! (not to original but... whatever...)

Pumpkin and Coconut Pudding
300g pumpkin (peeled, de-seeded)
180ml milk
180ml cream
50g brown sugar
50g coconut flour
10 g of powered gelatin

Cut the pumpkin into small cubes. Cook it in medium saucepan together with milk and sugar. Bring it to boil stirring constantly. When pumpkin starts to soften add coconut flour and cook on medium heath for additional 10 minutes. Add the cream and simmer for 5 more minutes.

Mix the gelatin with 3 spoons of cold water and leave it for 10 minutes to swell up.
Puree the pumpkin mixture (with stick blender of in food processor), add gelatin and stir (without bringing it beck to heath) for additional 5 - 10 minutes until gelatin melt completely.
Pour the mixture into cups and let it cool first on thee room temperature and then transfer them into fridge to set up which will take at least 3 hours.

"Step by Step" Photo Recipe: Fig Cake - HIB

I was going through same photos from this summer and I realized that I could post step by step photo recipe for fig cake - hib. You can read the recipe in my post that was entry to the September edition for SHF!



Grind figs, walnuts and fennel. Toast the walnuts in advance.




Knead the mixture as a dough.






Add few drops of domestic brandy to help you form the small "scone".




Leave to dry in the sun for ten days, turning it regularly.